Online-only letters to the editor, Feb. 24

Friday

Feb 24, 2017 at 11:00 AM

Making US automobile industry great again

How President Trump could change the US automobile industry forever and create thousands of high tech, high paying jobs right here in the US with two strokes of the pen The first stroke of the pen has to do with the EPA’s current rule that by 2025 automakers must achieve a corporate average fuel economy (cafe) standard of 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) vs. the current actual average of 31.5 mpg.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council’s energy and transportation program, it recently calculated that it will cost automakers of getting a typical midsize car an estimated $1200 to $1700 to meet the 2025 standard, now just 8 years away, which of course will be borne by consumers and require a significant investment by manufacturers to meet those standards. While before Obama left office, the EPA finalized a plan requiring automakers to meet this new standard as a way of locking it in, Trump will have until April 2018 to revise or eliminate this standard.

One problem is since the EPA began establishing the first CAFÉ rules back in the 1970’s, cars then made up over 60%+ of sales versus trucks 30%+. Currently that equation has been flipped with trucks and suvs making up 60%+ and cars 30%+. And with gasoline expected to stay in the $2-$3 dollar per gallon range for several years to come, the dominance of truck sales is expected to continue for the near future.

As a result, I expect Trump to revise the standard down to more accurately reflect the realities of the market place, but still require modest increases in café standards. And for those of you out there who are furiously about to send me hate mail asking if I have ever heard about “global warming”, “air pollution” and if I “work for an oil company or car company”, hang on a minute. The second stroke of Trump’s pen I am suggesting would result in a very simple, straight forward border tax of 30% for any all electric or self-driving vehicle imported to the US.

The message would be clear. If manufacturers want to sell these new vehicles here in the US, then they need to assemble them here in the US. And in order to insure that a manufacturer doesn’t just simply send the parts made in other countries and assemble them here, a reasonable US content of 80% would be required. This could lead to more joint ventures with foreign companies partnering with US based companies and the benefits that come from sharing technology.

The expected result? Thousands upon thousands of high paying, high tech jobs right here in the US. The ripple effect would open up tremendous opportunities to suppliers, colleges and universities and along with it the hopes of increased use of solar and wind energy to supply the power needed to drive this new economy resulting in many more US jobs. All of which would put this country on a track of further and faster reducing carbon emissions and dependency on carbon based fuels. And by reducing the cost to consumers and reducing the investment needed by manufacturers by pegging café standards to sales, manufacturers could reinvest that money that would otherwise be needed to meet the 2025 standards into the assembly plants of tomorrow to build these new vehicles. And with the very near term announcement of these two game changing moves, he provides ample time for manufacturers to react and plan accordingly.

And with two strokes of Trump’s pen, the US could become the center of the automotive world once again and Trump could very legitimately claim the credit as the father of the modern US automotive industry and point to this as a contributing factor of the rebirth of US based manufacturing.

Cliff StrongWesterville

Keep Affordable Care Act

I have been losing a lot of sleep lately, with members of congress talking about taking away our affordable healthcare. The Affordable Care Act has been a help to me and my family and I don't want congress to take it away.

Republican members of Congress have not been a fan of the ACA from the beginning, for reasons that I do not understand. It is true that members of Congress are in a position of power and can use that power to help their constituents or harm them. I fear that many are working to harm us. If Congress repeals the Affordable Care Act, they will be harming the people of Ohio and of the United States.

In the February 15th Dispatch, we learned of a study that said Medicaid Expansion has saved taxpayers $1 billion annually. As a bonus, Medicaid is providing better, more comprehensive care to 2.5 millions Ohioans. This sounds like a win-win situation. I'm asking the members of Congress to oppose efforts to fundamentally restructure and cut Medicaid. Medicaid Block grants and per capita caps provide flexibility only at the expense of significant funding cuts for states. Both policies will shift major costs to states, resulting in cuts to care and eligibility for their constituents.

If they plan to repair or replace the ACA, a plan will only be acceptable if it can : 1. Keep the coverage gains we already have and decrease the number of people without health insurance, 2. Guarantee that health coverage is at least as comprehensive as what people have with the ACA, 3. Guarantee that premiums ,deductibles, and copays are at least as affordable as those under the ACA, 4. Guarantee that the Medicaid and Chip safety net continues to provide affordable, comprehensive health coverage for all low-income families who are entitled to it under the current eligibility standards, 5. Protect people with pre-existing health conditions at all times from discrimination by insurers, 7.Prevent insurers from discriminating against women and older people as comprehensively as the ACA, 8. Guarantee that people have adequate assistance enrolling in, using and retaining their health coverage, 9. Guarantee that efforts to rein in healthcare spending address true causes of healthcare spending, improve care quality, and never simply shift costs to consumers.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act without a guaranteed comprehensive replacement is risky and irresponsible. About 1.6 million Ohioans will be uninsured in 2019, up from 621,000 today if the ACA is repealed. Patients with preexisting coverage will lose current protections. Hospitals, clinics, and doctors will lose money, making it harder for them to stay open. This will mean less healthcare for patients and job losses for healthcare employees. Healthcare needs will not go away with a repeal. I'm asking members of Congress to help their constituents keep our affordable healthcare. Our lives are depending on it.

Ruth Ann FarthingColumbus

Protect Alaskan public lands

I am writing to express my disappointment that Representative Pat Tiberi voted “yes” on H.J. Res. 69, which will allow the use of cruel and egregious killing methods on federal public lands in Alaska. This rule will overturn a Federal rule years in the making, crafted by professional wildlife managers, aimed at stopping some of the most horrific hunting practices imaginable including killing wolf pups in the den, killing hibernating mother bears and cubs, scouting grizzly bears from aircraft and then shooting them after landing, and trapping grizzly and black bears with steel-jawed leg hold traps and snares.

This Resolution, endorsed by the NRA, Safari Club International and other trophy hunting lobbyists, will allow these atrocities Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges—publicly owned land paid for at taxpayer expense. We need to stop this in its tracks. Please contact Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown and urge them to oppose this proposal when it comes to the Senate floor.

Chris NiehoffColumbus

Nuisance calls still a nuisance

To the Editor, I smiled at Dave Dickensheets letter (February21, 2017) pondering the possibility of people receiving even more nuisance calls than they already do, if the National Do Not Call Registry were not in place. Our phone number has been on the Registry for well over a decade, and we still get 5 or 6 nuisance calls a day. During election season, it was twice that number.

Richard KennedyColumbus

Preserve Medicaid

I applaud Governor Kasich for his leadership in promoting Medicaid expansion here in Ohio, and look forward to seeing him continue advocating for its incredible opportunities across the nation.

During a time of increased turmoil in Washington, with a fractured Congress unsure how to work with a President seemingly composing healthcare policy as he goes, it will be states like Ohio leading the way for smarter and more efficient spending policies. Mr. Kasich is showing the country that Republican governors can be on the right side of history by leading from the forefront, and not wait for more ineptitudes under this Republican-led Congress as they bumble from crisis to crisis, focusing solely on mitigating bad press and ignoring the systemic issues plaguing our healthcare crisis.

More must be done on informing the public on the detrimental reality of abandoning Medicaid expansion, from the fact not only would nearly one million Ohioans be stripped of healthcare, but also that thousands would lose their access to affordable substance-abuse treatment. In a time of painfully high opioid abuse devastating communities across economic and regional differences, Congress must work beyond slogans and accept the harm of their proposals. There are few issues I agree with the governor on, but this is a clear sign of his leadership over a divided Republican Party unsure of its future after so many years of lambasting the Affordable Care Act and decrying all of its components.

I ask Senator Portman and all Republican members of Congress from Ohio to join with our governor in demanding the preservation of Medicaid expansion for the well-being of our state.

Cormac M. BloomfieldColumbus

Healthcare is not a right

To The Editor: Today's (Feb.22) front-page story, "2 Lawmakers will skip local town halls", is accompanied by a (page 6) picture in which a woman is prominently displaying a sign, that says, "HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT."

So, in this day and age, all one has to do is to be born, and he/she is automatically and instantly entitled to healthcare, that is, the professional services of doctors and nurses who have spent many years (after high school, 10 would be average for doctors) and considerable money (student loans for doctors typically total around $200,000) obtaining their skills. And, I haven't mentioned the long hours and the sacrifices of their families during this time.

All I can say to this woman is that times certainly have changed. I had to be born, grow up, serve in the Navy (WW II), get a job, and save money; then, I could buy the "healthcare" I needed. She is an example of the "entitlement" mentality that is so prevalent in the younger generation - and which will, if left unabated, destroy our nation.

Jack E. WillerColumbus

Drivers cannot 'ignore' red lights

I respond to the article on page B2 of today’s Dispatch, “Law allowing drivers to ignore red lights being fixed.” First of all, that headline is misleading. The bill doesn’t allow drivers to “ignore” red lights.

House Bill 154 allows a vehicle to go through a red light if the signal fails to recognize the vehicle and activate. Columbus police Sgt. Nick Konves says this amounts to allowing motor vehicles to treat (red lights) like stop signs. Rep. Kyle Koehler says the bill “needs to be changed before people, especially young drivers, start being taught that they can run red lights in Ohio.”

I have long believed that red lights should, indeed, be treated exactly like stop signs. I am not suggesting drivers should be allowed to “run red lights,” any more than they should be allowed to “run” stop signs.

Almost every morning I am stopped by the light at Zettler Road and E. Livingston Ave. at about 6:30 am, when there is very little traffic. Requiring me, or any other driver at any other intersection, to sit and stare at a red light when there is no oncoming traffic in sight from either direction is ridiculous.